a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a security device for preventing or deterring theft of an article from a retail store or similar. In particular this invention relates to a security device that may be wrapped around an article to prevent or deter a person from tampering with the article or removing the article from the store.
b. Related Art
There are a number of known systems for deterring or preventing theft of articles from a retail space. Typically these systems include an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag that is attached to the article or object in the retail store. While the EAS tag is activated, the tag is arranged to trigger an alarm if the tag, and therefore the article, passes between a pair of detection gates, which are typically positioned at the entrance and exit of the retail store.
When a customer purchases an article having one of these EAS tags attached to it, the tag is deactivated so that the alarm is not triggered when that person leaves the retail store.
In some systems the tag remains attached to the article, for example when the tag is in the form of a label stuck to the packaging. In other systems the tag is deactivated and removed completely from the article. These systems tend to be referred to as hard tags, and are re-usable.
There are a number of different ways of attaching hard tags to articles, and which one is used will typically depend on the type of article being tagged. For clothing, the usual method of attaching a tag is by piercing the clothing with a pin, the sharp end of the pin being engaged with the tag body once it has pierced through the clothing. This method of attaching a tag, however, is only suitable for articles where both sides of the article are accessible, and which can be pierced.
Another known way to attach a hard EAS tag to an article is to use cables that pass around the article. Typically in these systems, the cables are tightened around the article and then the tag is activated. Once activated, the cables cannot be loosened or cut without triggering an alarm, thereby preventing unauthorised removal of the tag from the object.
One of the problems with re-usable hard tag systems is the time taken to install the tags on the articles when the articles are placed on display in the retail store, as well as the time taken to remove the tag when an article is purchased by a customer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved security device for deterring theft of an object from a retail space.